Well it's finally here. Through creativity, hard work, and no small amount of blood, sweat, and tears, I've finally got my second chapter up. For starters, I'll be answering some of my more critical reviews again.
Cadaver1041: Izuku won't be OP. That's partially the reason I made it so his classmates will be stronger too. Also, I created this little plot point where he is fit enough to handle a large portion of the raw power, but instead only controls a small part of it in trade for being able to use the multiple quirks of all of his previous users. That being said, it will be easier for him to attain that larger portion, but he will have to work much harder to attain the rest, and even harder than that to get to the point where he keeps the glow of power beneath his skin (You don't see All Might glowing like that, after all. He has to hide it somehow). And since you mention it, I did consider keeping Mineta around, just to do this thing based on the Krillin Owned Count that Team Four Star did called the Minoru rekt count (I'm on eleven in canon). I think it's something they would appreciate. But I'm still gonna replace one or two characters on 1-A who aren't qualified to be there so other characters can be put in the classroom, like Ibara Shiozaki, who was SUPPOSED to be there in canon, except Kohei Horikoshi is too much of a lazy shit to draw a bit of vine hair. Who cares if it looks different from the various angles?
What-if Verse: Fair enough. That's a no then. You can't just call them friends because they escaped one life/death situation together, not in their future profession. Honestly, they're all capable of hilarity without him.
A Guest: I made it abundantly clear in the first chapter I'm not altering the Harem. Does no one read the bold print anymore?
Credit for beta-reading goes to Konshiro Crobrasha. Or perhaps I should call him: My Konshiro Bro-basha.
With that said, on with the story.
"It's super-nice to meet you." – Normal speech
"Where are you looking?!" – speaking with emphasis
Is he worried? - thinking
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" - screaming
"WE'RE A'LL GONNA DIE" – Screaming with emphasis
"Detroit Smash" – special move
"Hope has arrived! Because I am here!" - Buff All Might speaking
{READY? START} – Speaker phone speech (Present Mic, in other words)
Two Years Later
Jukei had kept his promise to train Izuku with the free time he had. Unfortunately, between having to do his own studying and training, and having to go through internships, Izuku had to do most of the exercises that had been provided on his own, barring the supervision of his parents. This had pushed Jukei to write down a precise schedule for Izuku to follow in his absence. It started with stretches in the morning, consisting of 10 reps of the various stretches. These were followed by a diet-friendly breakfast, since he needed to maintain his health, and then he went to school on weekdays. On weekends, he would jog with Jukei to the gym, and wait for him to finish. He would then spar with him in private at the dojo Jukei attended, which taught several martial arts. Jukei taught Izuku basic moves, but never taught him any of the actual martial arts, as he said he wouldn't, not until he was nine. He also told Izuku to get several balancing exercises done.
Izuku had, per their agreement, kept his grades up when he began primary school, and Jukei was very impressed with what he had been shown. Something told him Izuku would grow to be something of a genius, but he didn't want him to get ahead of himself. The kid had just started! That being said, he was even more impressed to find Izuku had taken up a little hobby: quirk analysis. He had two note books with notes on different heroes and their quirks, fighting styles, tactics, costumes, gadgets, and the like.
It had been going well. So well in fact, that Jukei had decided to give him a day off. Currently, he and his mother were taking a trip with his mother to a park in Chiba. His mother had allowed him to go a ways ahead of her, as long as he stayed within the park.
After wandering for a short time, Izuku came to a creek. This was ideal. After about 2 years of likely more hard work than most or possibly even any his age, Izuku just wanted to… to do nothing for a moment. To think about what he had gotten done. The green-and-black haired child had always been doing something; now he wanted to think about what he had been doing. That was something very few people knew about Midoriya Izuku. For all of his insecurities and bashfulness, he was a thinker. It was actually he who had understood the other reading of his given name. He never clarified because, unlike him, Kacchan actually enjoyed the attention. Now he was regretting it big time.
Back on the subject of actually thinking about his progress, Izuku liked to think he had changed for the better in the last 2 years. He was still fairly scrawny since no intense training had been done, he couldn't talk to strangers without stuttering, and he barely interacted with anyone at school, let alone actually stood up for himself. He even still flinched whenever someone reached out for him.
The move to a new neighborhood made it easier for Izuku to avoid Katsuki, but Izuku still found himself crossing paths with him from time to time. It never ended well.
But he was going down the right path; he had better grades than most his age, no matter who tried to put him down, or how much he wanted to curve them to avoid the unwanted attention. He knew how to properly throw a punch, as opposed to kids who just brawled. He even tuned down on his Hero merchandise. In particular, he focused solely on limited edition stuff for All Might, and he widened his horizons to other heroes he considered to be role models. He was changing for the better, and he had Jukei-sensei to thank for it.
Suddenly, Izuku heard noises; that of a body shuffling along the ground, and a sigh. Looking around, he saw to his left a boy no older than himself. Black, shaggy hair overshadowed eyes of a less familiar red. His skin seemed an ever-so-slightly darker shade than his, and he had a light scar over his right eye. He was wearing blue shorts and a shirt with "little man" in big red characters. The stranger, who seemed to be around the same age as Izuku himself, was looking right back at him.
"…Uuuh… h-hello."
Oh, shoot! He was greeting him! He had to say something! He was surprised to hear that the stranger sounded rather nervous. Was that what he sounded like? Not important right now. This was a potential positive peer interaction!
"H-hello."
Well, he supposed that was a practical way to confirm they had one another's attention.
Fun fact: it takes exactly 5 seconds of no conversation for a silence to become awkward. It was seven seconds before Izuku decided to say something.
"W-When did you get here? I d-d-didn't notice you earlier."
The black haired-boy spoke. "I j-just got here."
Silence resumed betwixt them at that moment. Izuku decided if they were going to talk about anything, they should at least know each other's names.
"I… I'm Midoriya Izuku."
"K-Kirishima Eijiro."
Well, at least they got that out of the way. And Izuku had confirmed that, indeed, the boy before him was as nervous as he was.
"…What are those characters on your shirt?"
The now named Eijiro Kirishima perked up at this. "Ah! They say, 'Little Man!'"
"No, I-I knew that. I meant: why do you have them on there?"
"Oh, umm… my dad says I'm going to grow up to be a real man, like him. I hope so. I wanna grow up to be a manly hero, like Crimson Riot."
Izuku himself livened up that this. He was more than grateful to move to the topic of heroes! "Oh! The Chivalrous hero, Crimson Riot? He's so awesome! He stands for everything not just found in a hero, but in a man too. At least, that's what he says. Are you really gonna be a hero like him?"
Suddenly, Kirishima seemed crestfallen, as if he wasn't so sure himself or…
Equally suddenly, the black-haired boy seemed to make a very familiar Image.
"I… I want to…" He said, his voice small. He looked at the ground. "… But I don't know that I can do it. I mean… Crimson Riot is cool, and brave and tough. I'm…" His voice became wobbly, and Izuku hoped he could get all of his thoughts out so he could help him. "I'm a coward. I remember two years ago some kid was defending another kid from a bunch of bullies. I… w-wanted to help him, b-but I was too scared. What kind of hero am I if I can't help someone else just because I'm scared to get hurt myself? And … and when I do manage to try and move…" his voice as cracking, he was sure. "I c-c-can't do anything. M-My quirk's pathetic. I can harden m-m-myself, but I can't be any stronger than plastic. I tried to defend someone else with it, and not only did I fail, I cried because I got hurt so bad a-a-and…and…" He didn't full on sob, but he allowed the tears to run down his cheeks. He really didn't want to say anything else, lest he actually cry.
When the quirkless child heard the kid before him talk, he heard something not unlike his own words from once upon a time. He remembered how desperately he wanted to be able to do something, to have someone else assure him he could. He had to say something. He had to be there for someone who needed it. He put on a determined face.
"I want to be a hero too." He said. "It's all I want. My whole life is heroes. Right now I'm filling up note books with facts about all sorts of heroes and villains. Crimson riot is one of them." Suddenly, Eijiro looked at him, his attention fully on a very steadfast Izuku. "Did you know that he was afraid, not just sometimes, but every moment of his career?"
"Yeah, I remember." Eijiro replied, blinking his slightly wet eyes. "The interview he said that in is my favorite video."
This allowed Izuku to continue. "In his early years, some civilians even died because he froze up when he saw a villain. Do you know what he said about someone that doesn't feel fear?" Izuku left his question out in the open, waiting for Kirishima-kun to respond.
Suddenly, the red-eyed kid looked him straight in the eye, his tears not deterring him in the slightest. "He said that anyone who isn't afraid is an idiot. And the one thing that scared him the most were… are the faces of people he couldn't save."
"You say you were frozen up," Izuku took on a determined look, "but to me, it sounds like you were afraid for what could have happened to that boy more than you were scared for your own safety. Next time when it happens when you become a hero you'll do what you have to do." Izuku smiled at him. "Crimson Riot also said 'to live without regrets is the best way to be.'"
Eijiro raised an arm to his face to wipe the tears out of his eyes. He straightened his back and looked at Izuku. He allowed himself a wide smile, which revealed very shark-like teeth. "I…Thanks, Midoriya. But it's kind of weird that you would help me."
"That's what a hero does." The green-and-black haired boy responded. "They interfere where they are not wanted and help whether anyone asks them to or not. And since I am helping you, I can also help you become a hero."
"Huh? Really?"
"Yeah. I can ask my teacher. If he can teach you, and if he says yes, we can work together on becoming heroes." And then, he suddenly gave Eijiro a serious look. "Now I have to ask you: What kind of hero do you want to be?"
Eijiro thought for a moment. He had no idea. He wasn't sure if he could be a real hero, not being able to move in a real emergency. But maybe that was his answer.
Tightening his Hands into fists, he responded unwaveringly. "I am going to be a manly hero that can run in to any situation, to save everyone without hesitating."
"It's a promise. I'll take you to meet my teacher the next time I go to see him. Maybe he'd be willing to help you too."
"Maybe I would!" An older voice suddenly jumped from out of nowhere. As they shrieked in surprise and turned to face the speaker. They found a senior-year Jukei Ikinuku Standing not five feet away from them, now taller, and with more defined muscle hidden underneath his red track suit and black sneakers. He was glaring at Izuku, as if he had committed a gravely sin. He spoke again, "Midoriya Izuku, I tell you to jog 5 laps around Chiba Park, and I find you chatting it up with some other little snot?! That's 15 laps for both of you, now!" He had never said that; he was just using this o solidify their oath.
"H-h-huh? B-but-"
"NOW!"
Izuku lost what little energy for protesting he had left, running off down the riverside, Eijiro looking on in confusion before feeling a small shove forward. "You too, kiddo."
"Huh?" The sharp-toothed child looked to Jukei in confusion. "What? Why?"
"You want to become great heroes together right? You promised each other." Eijiro nodded, not following. "Well, as Izuku-chan's teacher, I'm not gonna let you be too weak to help him, to help yourself." The teenage trainer threw him a thumbs up "If you want to keep your promise, then you'd better start now, before you fall too far behind." Eijiro took on an expression of realization as he came to understand what the stranger meant. Midoriya was working hard, harder now to keep his promise. If he was going to grow alongside him, he should do the same. With these thoughts in mind, he sprinted off after Izuku, who had gained a fair head start, Jukei smiling warmly.
Inko, meanwhile, sweat dropped. After two years, she was really starting to wonder about his methods.
Eventually, Eijiro had caught up to Izuku on their trek down the river, the two of them panting as they tried to keep as far ahead of their spur-of-the-moment trainer.
"*Pant Pant* What exactly *Pant* did he mean about 15 laps?" Eijiro asked worriedly.
Izuku turned to Eijiro and answered between breaths of his own, "*Pant* He wants us to * Pant Pant* run around Chiba *Pant* 15 times."
"*Pant* Oh. *Pant* Greeeeaaat."
Before Izuku could respond, he found himself running into somebody. Eijiro Slowed down and came to a stop as he then turn back around to help his freckled friend up.
"Oof!"
Took a moment to gain his bearings, but when he did he muttered out a quick apology before suddenly getting a look at who he ran into. It was a young girl about his age with a large mouth and eyes with pronounced lower eyelashes, forming a rather vacant expression. Her nose seemed to be more of a snout, and her hair was long and teal. She had large hands and feet, and she was wearing a blue polo shirt and khaki pants.
But most importantly she was a girl! She. Was. A. Girl!
"I-I-I-I-I"
"Uh, Midoriya?" Eijiro Looked at his newly made comrade in concern
Despite the substantial increase in - and for that matter his manifestation of the existence of - his confidence, the green-haired trainee was still less than adept at talking to others, especially girls. And considering he had just knocked this girl over because of his lack of attentiveness, his reaction was really the best one could have hoped for in terms of actual positive interaction.
The still rather timid child got down on all fours in a bow and apologized as sincerely as he could. "G-G-GOMENESAI! I wasn't looking where I was going I didn't mean to hurt you! Gomenkudasai!
The young girl in question did not seem terribly offended to begin with. She just blinked twice at him before getting up and dusting herself off and did not escape Izuku's or Eijiro's notice that her form was hunched and she had her hand out in front of her not unlike zombie. She spoke in a nasally voice.
"Daijobu. You didn't really hurt me badly. The landing just stung a little. Though if I may ask why are you running so fast?"
Izuku scrambled up from his spot on the ground and attempted to form a coherent reply. "U... U-uh... I A-ah-aaahhhh..." it was totally within his ability to talk properly, but it still did not escape him the circumstances in which he was speaking he was talking to a girl! And she was talking right back to him!
It was not lost on Eijiro that Izuku was too nervous to speak, so he decided to step in by answering for him. "We're jogging around Chiba." He said. "His-…" He stopped short as soon as he remembered why he was running with him. "-Our trainer is pretty scary."
Finally his partner began to form words. "I... *Ahem* That is... he's... he's really not that bad, Kirishima-kun! Once you get to know him he's a really great guy!"
His returned ability to talk probably had something to do with the fact that he was technically addressing Kirishima right now.
"Oh, really?" The girl perked up curiously. "What are you training for?"
Eijiro pumped his fists enthusiastically. "We're gonna become heroes! We've got work as hard as possible if we want to become the greatest we want to be!"
The strange girl put a finger up to her lip thoughtfully. "You seem a little young for any particularly intense training are you sure you're OK?"
K-Kawaii! Izuku thought at the girl's gesture. That could wait! Right now he had to do something to prevent making himself from looking like a complete clod. "It's... f-fine. It's n-not as hard as it seems. We wanna become the b-b-best of heroes so we've got t-t-to work harder than anyone else." It suddenly occurred to him that he hadn't properly introduced himself. In an attempt to reduce his nervousness he stuck out his hand in anticipation of a handshake. "I-I'm Midoriya Izuku. T-t-this is Kirishima Eijiro."
"Yo!" Eijiro was always excited to meet new people.
"Hajimemashite." She said as she shook their respective hands, Holy whoa, a girl was touching holding his hand! "I'm Asui Tsuyu ."
For the second time that day, Izuku attempted to start a conversation with someone his age. "S-So... what... what are you d-d-d-doing out here, Asui-San?"
"Oh, I'm actually just doing a bit of training of my own. In case you didn't notice my quirk makes me like a frog so I was going to see if I could clear this river."
Well, that explained her appearance. Not that it bothered him. She was actually really cute. Izuku felt his cheeks heat up, and he hoped he didn't look too silly. To try and distract himself, he took a look at the wide river tour which she was referring.
"Oh... uh... doesn't that s-seem a bit dangerous?"
"Don't worry. It's not very rocky and the water is deeper than it looks."
"Oh. Have you done it often?"
"Indeed I have. Kero."
The boys jumped at this. Did she just croak?! Izuku knew certain animal quirks made people more similar to animals but the occasion on which they made the actual noise of their respective animals was actually fairly rare.
Tsuyu flinched as she realized she had croaked again. "Yeah, I know." she said, sounding a bit rueful though not losing her blank expression. "I croak just like a real frog, but I can't really control it. Sorry if it bothers you. I try to do it less than before."
"NO!" Izuku suddenly shouted, and his present company was taken aback by his outburst. Suddenly, The bashful trainee completely realized what he had just done. "Uh... I mean... Y-you don't have to stop doing it if you don't really want to. You should..." He took a deep breath. "You should never stop being you just because someone else doesn't like it. You should always be yourself, especially if you want to prove you have the courage of a real hero. If you can't do that, how can you say you have the courage to help other people?"
Beneath her stoic manner, the anthropomorphic frog girl was more than a little gob smacked. Most other kids thought she was bizarre, that her tongue was just a worm in her mouth, and that kids shouldn't be making any of the noises she made. Her parents told her it was simply a phase, which they would grow out of it, and they would mature more.
"Besides..." Izuku smiled shyly, "I... I-I th-th-think... your... y-y-y-your c-croak is really... r-r-r-really... c-c-c ... cu..."
Tsuyu turns her head to the side cutely, and Eijiro scratches the back of his head confusedly.
Izuku decides he does not have the courage to say what he was about to say while looking at either of them. So he turned his head away his voice barely above a whisper.
"...cute."
Oh God he had actually set it he actually thought to praise someone and now it was going to hit him back hard! She was going to slap him, laugh at him, call him a dork of the highest grade and take away whatever self-respect he had an insult speed of Mach 110!
"...Call me Tsuyu."
Izuku blushed. "Eh?!"
Eijiro blinked. "Huh?"
"I'll call you Izuku, she said, before turning to Eijiro, "And you Eijiro."
Izuku blushed harder. "O-o-o-okay."
"Sure!" Eijiro replied. "Hey since you're training too, you wanna try doing it with us?"
Tsuyu nodded. "Kero."
"Okay, great!" He spoke hurriedly. "We should start right now, before Trainer-San catches up to us."
And then, to the surprise of both boys when the frog female turned in the same direction they were running, she did not run, but instead hopped at a fast pace. They gawked slightly before running to catch up.
Sometime later, Tsuyu decided to stop near an alleyway. She had to admit he was impressed with the others' ability to keep up with her, despite her inherent advantages, but she decided she should let them take a break before they combusted. She didn't have to wait a full 15 seconds before they were completely caught up with her, albeit panting for breath like it was a scarce resource.
"W-wow," Eijiro manages to get out. "You're really fast, Asui."
The girl simply shrugged. "You guys were good too, even though your quirks don't give you any permanent physical boosts. Kero. Call Me Tsuyu"
"But you... y-y-you didn't have to stop for us." Izuku wheezed out.
"Of course I did. You two are exhausted and I felt bad for leaving you behind like that."
"Dang." Eijiro said "That's really great of ya, Tsuyu." He kind of wanted to say it was manly of her, except she was "her."
Suddenly the three of them heard a noise; sobbing. It was coming from the alleyway.
Let's make something very clear: among three of them, Midoriya Izuku may have been intelligent beyond his years and he may have been very cautious. However, he was still only six years old and he still had very much to learn. And much like any six-year-old who had very much to learn, he had a vicious curiosity streak. So when his newfound companions took a slight step towards the alleyway, he not only failed to stop them from doing so, he also took a step forward with them. They also took several more steps forward until one of them *cough* Eijiro *cough* stepped on a can and evidently alerted the presence within the alleyway to their own presence. What they were not expecting was the voice of someone their own age.
"W-Who's there? Don't come any closer!"
Izuku tensed up "W-who's there?"
"Midoriya," Eijiro whispered, "maybe we should go."
"calm down Eijiro," Tsuyu said. "If we were in any trouble, we'd be running on reflex."
"Hey!" The hardener protested indignantly. "I knew that!"
"Please," the voice pleaded, "I-I don't want to hurt anyone!"
[Izuku Midoriya: Hero Instincts, Activate]
"Come on, Kirishima-kun, Asui-san. We need to find whoever is in here."
Midoriya, come on…" The red-eyed boy protested weakly.
"Let's go." But Izuku was having none of it.
"Don't argue with him, Eijiro-chan." Tsuyu said, following Izuku's lead. "This is serious. Someone could be seriously hurt."
"*sigh* I know." He said as they moved in. Looking back at that moment, he would be very upset with himself for almost abandoning someone just because he was afraid, again, not 10 minutes after he made a vow not to do that.
After about three minutes of stumbling, careful steps, and one instance of Eijiro almost scraping himself on the brick wall, they went far enough in that they could make out a figure in the darkness. With only minimum light from the split in between the building tops, it was too dark for them to properly see his full appearance, but they could tell he was actually shorter than them, though he seemed to be the same age otherwise. He-or she- was curled up into a ball, and they could more clearly hear his whimpers now that they were much closer.
"Hello?" Izuku tried. "What's wrong?"
Suddenly the voice became even more panicked. "I said get back! I don't want to hurt you!"
"Hurt us? What do you mean?"
"M-m-m-muh-my-my quirk! It's t-t-too strong in the dark! I ...I can't control it!"
"Well maybe it would help if you were moved out of the light." The greenette offered helpfully.
"... Could you help me up?"
"Nani?"
"I ran in here and sprained my ankle when I tripped on something." Honestly, he was so embarrassed he hadn't just thought of crawling, now he was going to make them do it?
"OK. Come on, Kirishima-kun. Help me lift him up. You grab his left, I'll grab his right."
It took a bit of time and effort, but they manage to lift him up over their shoulders and help him out of the alleyway. Upon setting him down, they see his full face. He is definitely a boy (the voice gives everything away) but they immediately noticed he has the head of a hawk. His eyes are a slightly deeper red than Eijiro's, and he is wearing black shorts and a gray shirt that has the kanji for "spook."
"I... I'm Tokoyami F-F-Fumikage." The boy stutters out, and Izuku wonders for the second time that day if that is what he sounds like.
"Midoriya Izuku desu."
"Kirishima Eijiro desu."
"Asui Tsuyu desu."
There is several seconds of awkward silence before Izuku's curiosity got the better of him. "So... what is your quirk?"
Normally young Fumikage would have been far too afraid of what other people would say to tell them about his quirk, but the way this boy asked that, and the way he looked at him... something made him believe he could trust this boy and his friends.
"My quirk is dark shadow." suddenly, everyone gasped when a stringy-bodied creature with a birds head not unlike his own appeared from his torso "I can control this little creature made out of actual darkness and he becomes stronger in the dark, but also harder for me to control."
"Wow!" Izuku had stars in his eyes. "That's really cool! Are you gonna be a hero like us? You'd be really strong, especially at night!"
"I... I can't." The bird-headed boy said shamefully. "I can't be a hero."
"What?" Izuku's eyebrows furrowed. "Why not?"
Fumikage looked at him as though he had asked the stupidest question in the world. "I showed you my quirk. Darkness is evil. If I get stronger in the dark, I'll only ever be seen as the villain."
"Says who?" Eijiro stepped in this time.
Fumikage seemed reluctant "...Other kids."
"Well," The hardening quirk user decided firmly, "They don't know what they're talking about!"
"Yeah!" Izuku said. "If they think darkness automatically makes a villain, they don't know what a real villain or a real hero is!"
Fumikage was very much taken aback. "D...do you really think I'm not a villain?"
"Yes!" Izuku declared firmly. "Even more than that, I bet you could become an awesomely powerful hero!"
"Yeah! What he said!" Let it be known Eijiro Kirishima was not gifted in the ways of backing others up logically, only morally.
Fumikage did not know what to say. His parents would only try to comfort him and say he wasn't a monster, that he was a good boy, their good boy. But when he asked them if he could be a hero with this power...
"...I ... Thank you guys. Really... I... Thank you. I just..."
"Fumikage!"
Suddenly the group was approached by two adults, who happened to be Fumikage's parents.
His mother was a woman of average height whose most noted feature where is the head of a pigeon with human eyes and gray feathers, with a slender build and wearing blue jeans loafers and a dark grey cardigan. Her name was Tsubame Tokoyami.
His father was a slightly short man with red eyes and dark hair that was spiked backwards. His skin was pale and he wore gray khakis black Nikes with green accents and a brown polo shirt. His name was Kurai Tokoyami.
"Gomenesai, Okaa-san." Fumikage apologized. "I... I just got upset when those kids called me a monster when I used my quirk to fight them after what they said about your face."
The apparent father nodded in approval, speaking in a voice that was deep, without any pronounced emotion. "That's my boy. Defending his mother's honor. Ha ha. But you know the rules. No quirks in public."
"Yes, Otou-san. It's OK though. 'Cuz my new friends told me I can be a hero! And I'm going to make my quirk stronger to do it!"
His parents took in the side of the ragtag group of children. They were his friends now? And was he really certain about this?
"Well..." His mother spoke," If that's what you wish, angel..." If pigeons could look determined that would certainly describe Miss Tokoyami."
"IT looks like I get to discern the difference between our abilities after all son." His father spoke, allowing a smile to stretch across his pale face.
Izuku decide to speak up. "Uhm, Mr. and Mrs. Tokoyami, is it OK if Fumikage-san ... plays with us for a while?"
The parents think it over for a moment. His friends seemed rather encouraging. They were nice to him in spite of having apparently seeing his powers. And this green kid...
"Worry not, my treasured child." His father spoke. "You are a graced with your father's express permission for this escapade with these mysterious youths."
"Dear!" The Mrs. admonished. "If you keep talking like that, he's going to end up like you!"
"And what's wrong with that?!"
Meanwhile in the background, Izuku decided to invite the shadow quirk user along on their exercise. "Eto... Tokoyami-san, you want to run with us?"
"If you insist..." And so the group continued, one hero larger.
After several breath-draining minutes, the group comes full circle to where Izuku met Eijiro. They see something that was not there when they left.
A young girl with eyes with black sclera and yellow irises, light pink skin, and small horns just barely poking past her curly pink hair is shaking in her shoes, standing with two kids behind her, doubled over in what is most likely pain. Standing before her are three kids who reek of ill intent. The one standing in the front, Izuku recognizes as all too familiar.
"Kacchan?."
What was he doing here? Did he really know this girl? What was going on?
That last one he felt he already knew the answer to.
"Get outta the way, pinky." The gruffly voices child demanded. "These two need to learn their place."
The strange girl in front of them, who is still trembling head to toe, spoke out as defiantly as she could. "W-why are you being so mean? You made 'em cry, Baku. I-I-If you keep on hurting them, I'll...I'll stop you myself!
Izuku suddenly saw someone standing where he once stood, defending someone from the person he used to look up to more than anyone else in the world. No one came to defend him. He would not allow the same misfortune to befall this girl, who had no business being here.
"... I have a plan."
Katsuki Bakugou had only ever been so irritated once in his short life, and he was about to deal with it the same way.
"...Heh. You really wanna try and stop me? Even your quirk doesn't compare to mine. How much acid can you throw before it hurts you?" He took a step forward to assert his imagined authority.
"D-don't come any closer!" Mina raised her tiny first shakily. "Don't come any closer or I'll ...I'll throw all of it at you!"
Bakugo is un-intimidated. Enough. Time to end this charade.
"You know what?" He slams one fist into his palm, a tiny explosion going off between them. "Fine. I'll let them go. But you have to agree to take their place."
The pink girl is frozen in fear, unable to respond.
"I don't hear any argument."
...
"Well then I guess that settles that. You're going down!"
Suddenly, Katsuki found himself getting tackled to the ground, his arms in someone else's grip.
"Oof! Hey, who are you?! Get offa m-..."
The precocious bully suddenly looks up to see familiar green and black hair, and green eyes glaring back at him. It is accompanied by the most annoying voice he swears he's ever heard.
"You're still hurting people, Kacchan! You never change!"
"Deku?! What are you doing here?! Get offa me!"
Izuku suddenly sees little sparks from out of Katsuki's hands and uses the split second he has left to get away, before an explosion the size of a compact car shoots from out of The blonde's palms! Katsuki scrambles off of the ground and snarls.
"Still getting in my way, huh Deku? You may have moved away like a coward, but you'll always be a thorn in my side!"
"You're outnumbered, Kacchan."
"Huh?"
"Look around you. You can't take us all on."
Katsuki looks over to where his followers were and sees that he is indeed outnumbered. The freak with the bird head was pinning down long fingers with some shadow monster that was appearing from his stomach, and the fat one with the wings was being held down by his arms and legs buy some frog looking girl and some emo looking kid. And to top it off, that explosion was his biggest. It was more than his body could take, and now the nerves in his hands were damaged. Realizing Deku is right, he curses for the first time in his life!
"Kuso!" He turned to face his imagined rival. "This isn't over, Deku! Next time I'll kill you and your friends!" And with that, he runs in the opposite direction of the. The other kids following him were released from their respective holds once their "boss" is far enough ahead of them that they cannot see him clearly.
With the main issue gone and dealt with, the quirkless child turned his attention to the three would-be victims.
"Are you..."
Before he could fully articulate his question, he found himself tackled to the ground and buy a pink blur. Upon regaining his bearings he discovered that the pain girl had him in an embrace.
"THANK YOU! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!"
Izuku could only make several flustered gurgling noises in response, as he blushed like crazy. a girl was hugging him! This did not bother the girl, who was not paying attention as she rambled off.
"I was so scared I ran into that guy and I decided to follow him around because I thought he was cool but then he was bullying these two kids and I tried to stop him but he was SO SCARY! And then you jump in and you were SO COOL! Your dodge when he exploded was AWESOME! THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH!"
[Izuku Midoriya: Flustered Levels: Off Charts.]
"I think she broke him." Eijiro said.
Tsuyu didn't know why, but she was getting this strange feeling of frustration seeing Izuku in this girls embrace. "Excuse me," She interjected, getting the strange energetic girls attention. "I think you've flustered our friend out of commission."
Mina held her Savior at arm's length to examine him, in all his blushing glory. "Omigosh, are you OK? I didn't mean to spook you, I was just so excited when you save me and these two..." She turned to where the other two kids were on the ground in pain only to see that they were no longer there What she did not know was that while she was hugging the living daylights out of her personal hero, they had decided they should simply go because there was no need for them to stay any longer. "Oh." She simply said. "Oh well. I'm Ashido Mina! Nice to meet ya!"
"I'm Asui Tsuyu. Kero." The frog girl introduced herself. "Call me Tsuyu."
"Kirishima Eijiro." The boy introduced himself boisterously. "Nice to meet you too!"
"...Tokoyami Fumikage. It is... pleasant."
The now named Mina Ashido turned to face Izuku, waiting for him to introduce himself, but he was still a little too flustered from the unfamiliar contact. So the bubbly girl decided to guess herself.
"Okay let me guess! Hmm... that Bakugou boy ... he called you..." her face lit up in remembrance "Deku, right?"
Izuku managed to snap out of his flustered state enough to actually talk to her, his blush toning down slightly. "A-A-actually m-my n-n-n-name is Midoriya Izuku."
"Oh?" She tilted her head curiously. "But that boy Bakugou... he called you 'Deku.'"
"T-That's just what he calls me. The character for "Izuku" can also be read as "Deku," and that means someone who can't do anything."
"Shows what he knows! You did do something! You saved me!"
Izuku's blush returned full force.
"But is that why you called him 'Kacchan?' I thought his name was Bakugo."
"I-It-it is. 'Kacchan' is j-j-j-just what I call him."
"Really? But why? It sounds too cute for a bully like him."
Tsuyu asked "Do you to know each other very well?"
"We..." Izuku looked crestfallen. "We used to. I moved away."
"Good." Eijiro stated firmly. "I wouldn't wanna live near that jerk."
"A shattered bond." Fumikage said gravely. Everyone turned to him, surprised at the dark tone in his voice. He blushed hotly. "My ... My dad does that sometimes. He sounds really cool when he does it."
"H-he's not that bad." Izuku said, causing everyone to raise an eyebrow. "H-he's just super-proud and confident and brave and strong and..."
"And really mean." Tsuyu interjected bluntly.
"He's not that bad!"
"I disagree."
He could tell they weren't asking, but he felt compelled to tell them? Why? Why does he feel selfish need? They didn't need to be bothered with his problems.
"I swear he's okay! He only started acting like this once his quirk manifested!"
"Ya, sure. Whatever." Mina was not too convinced. "So, like, what're you guys doing out here?'
"We're training to be heroes." Eijiro said, slamming a fist into his palm.
"*gasp* Cool! That Baku kid Said he was going to be one and that he and his friends had an agency or whatever, but I don't know. Say, I'm curious: what are your quirks? I can shoot acid until it starts stinging."
Eijiro introduced his with a measure of pride. "I can harden my body. Though now I can only make myself hard as wood, I'll make it way stronger!"
Tsuyu went next. "I can basically do anything frog can. Kero."
Next was Fumikage. "I can control a shadow monster that becomes stronger in darkness."
Everyone turned to Izuku, who suddenly was feeling very nervous as he remembered the reason he didn't have any friends: he had no quirk. Nothing about him was special. The expectant stairs were suddenly becoming too much to handle.
"Izuku-chan," Asui said, "you never did mention your quirk, or what you can do with it."
"Yeah," Eijiro chimed in, "Why is that?"
"You needn't divulge anything personal to us," Fumikage attempted to supply helpfully, "only what you are comfortable with."
"C'mon, spill it! What is it?"
He knew they didn't mean him any harm; they were just curious. That did not ease the pit in his stomach.
Izuku swallowed hard, and he was quite certain everyone could tell how nervous he was. This was the big moment, wasn't it? The moment when he risked losing friends as quickly as he had made them.
He had experience with how other kids treated powerless "peers." It constantly reminded Izuku of what he'd learned when Bakugo beat him up for the first time. Suddenly, he remembered the mocking of his powerlessness, of kids who had a told him he'd never amount to anything...
"Midoriya?"
...Of the doctor, who had so lethargically told him he would never get a power of his own...
"Hey, Midoriya?"
...Of his parents, who may as well have told him he'd always be a quirkless nobody when they said they wished things were different, not even really answering him when he so desperately wanted them to tell him he could still be a hero...
"MIDORIYA!"
Suddenly, Izuku broke out of the darkness that had surrounded him, and it quickly became apparent that he was breathing a little erratically. After several seconds of calming down, he looked around to see his audience looking at him with a bit of both worry and anticipation.
Suddenly, he decided he shouldn't worry so much about their opinions. They had just barely met him, and he was quite used to being dejected. And here he was still moving forward, a mentor on his side. He decided that if they were going to hear the truth, they were going to hear all of it. He took a deep breath and out it came.
"I'm quirkless." He told them.
Their looks of surprise and confusion were completely expected, but what he did not expect was that several seconds had been spent in silence. He thought they would've started laughing by now. "When I got my results, the Doctor made absolutely sure. He said it would never happen." He looked crestfallen at that, before continuing. "But I really want to be a hero." He said earnestly. "There's nothing else in the world I want to be. Not having a quirk is just going to make it a lot harder, and I have someone to teach me, so it won't impossible." He noticed they were still staring. They hadn't responded at all. were they too shell shocked by his first statement? Had anything else he'd said even registered with them? "I know it seems stupid," he choked out, "but I'm not going to give up, even if everyone else thinks I am totally hopeless. I'll become the greatest hero I can be, the greatest in the world, if I can." He noticed they still hadn't stop staring at him. He knew it was only a matter of time, but he would get the responses. He simply close his eyes and clinched his tiny fists.
...
...
...
...
...
...Okay, this was getting ridiculous.
Izuku wasn't so sure why it was taking them so long to respond. Out of curiosity and confusion, he opened his eyes only to see that in the time he'd had his eyes closed, his companions, sans Asui who still had her neutral expression had rather positive expression; more specifically, Tokoyami looked at him with wide eyes and what appeared to be a smile on his beak, and Mina and Eijiro had wide grins across their faces.
What had gotten into them?
"YOU'RE SO COOL!" Mina and Eijiro declared loudly, catching Izuku completely off guard.
"An unarmed battle against darkness." Fumikage muttered.
"You're going to be working harder than I thought, if you are serious about it." Asui said, with a finger to her lips.
"You're even more of a man than I thought!" Eijiro said. "I never would have considered being a hero if my quirk hadn't shown up!"
"Yeah! that's awesome!" Ashido squealed. "Don't give up no matter what!"
Izuku was struck dumb. He had not expected this at all. Yet… "Y-…you guys think I can do it? You don't think I'm just being a loser?"
"A loser wouldn't not give up like this!" Eijiro replied. "You are the man, man."
The green-haired quirkless boy could only stand there in shock. All of the kids back home had automatically decided that he couldn't do anything, that he would never be any good. These kids… were most certainly not those kids, and boy was he grateful for that! He decided he wasn't going to let their words of encouragement go unrewarded. He smiled widely. "If you guys think I can really be a hero…" he began, "and you all want to be heroes to…" he paused for a moment and continued when they nodded in affirmation, "then we will all become heroes together!" he firmly decided. "My sensei is very nice. I think he would be willing to take up more students. He even made me and Kirishima-kun go on a jog together so we could secure the promise we made to each other." The aforementioned boy looked at him in surprise. He did not expect him to figure that out.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, said teacher made his appearance, standing proud and tall looking at each and every one of them appraisingly. "Well Izuku," he said "it's good to see you brought me some fresh meat." He then crossed his arms over his chest. "All right, listen up!" he said. "I don't care if you're a wimp. I don't care if you're geeks. I don't care if you don't even know how to properly fight, and I don't care if you've never fought in your life or done anything dangerous." He said. "However, if you're collective will power is sufficient to endure what I've got in store for you, then you will be one step closer towards your little aspiration. There will be no change in schedule; there will be no sick days; there will there will be no let ups; and you will always be better than you were the day before. Am I understood?" Bewildered by the arrival of their new teacher (apparently), each of them stood ramrod straight and saluted.
"""""Yes sir!""""" they responded simultaneously.
Satisfied with their response, Jukei decided to let up on the verbal abuse. "OK then." he said, "It seems you all day I had a listen very good. Now if none of you are the spineless, all-talk, pansy ass little worms I think you are, you're training will begin right now!" He knew this seemed like a pretty spur of the moment decision on his part, and in fact it probably was, but he would not be around forever. In fact, if Jukei got far enough in life, he would probably no longer be needed. He would need friends to support him when his time was up, so to speak. These little brats seemed up to the task. He turned to his number one disciple. "Oh and Izuku." He said. The addressed turned to him. "Nice job finding me new recruits." The mentor figure threw a morale-boosting thumbs-up at him.
"Who's ready?"
Izuku had a feeling he would get along very well with the friends he had made today.
Seven Years, Six Months Later
Izuku had grown very close to his newly made friends over the years, even though living in different prefectures made it hard to spend time with them often. It helped that they had a surprising many things in common between the five of them. Prime among them was their mutual desire to be heroes, and their preference for U.A. High. They were all outstanding in their own way, though Izuku had insisted he was the least amazing out of all of them. That being said, he had learned a great deal about them.
Eijiro was easiest for him to get along with, perhaps because he was straightforwardly honest and kind-hearted. With the passing years and side-by-side training routines, he had changed is resolve immensely from the under confident and self-depreciating person he had been. He was now able to back up his bravado, having improved his quirk to the point to where blades did no good, and even large hammers were just a slap on the wrist. Even without it, he was tough as nails, having taking up swarmer-style boxing to compliment his quirk and simultaneously become capable of fighting without it. Looking past his skills, Eijiro was very outgoing, and very fond of the concept of manliness, whatever it implied for him. He also cried a bit. When he brought it up, the red-eyed boy had told him something that would make Izuku feel much better about his own breakdowns. Apparently among Eijiro's Crimson Riot fan paraphernalia, were recording of his interviews. One of his videos was of the Chivalrous hero speaking of manly tears, of tears that had a reason, for being shed, as opposed to being shed for no good reason. He taught that it was that it was not only okay to cry, but that it was actually better, and Eijiro had confidently told his green-haired bro that his tears were certainly manly. Izuku would always be close with him. Kirishima-kun even ended up becoming "Eicchan," at some point. Neither of them questioned it.
Asui – or Tsu, as she apparently preferred being called - was so blunt it hurt sometimes. But it also meant she wasn't afraid to be herself, and Izuku respected that. It also meant she wasn't afraid to say the sort of nice things some people would be embarrassed to say. She also seemed to have a natural poker face, but unlike most people, Izuku knew there was more to it than just a level head (though he knew she did possess such). It was because her amphibian physiology had suppressed her emotions, making them much harder to notice even at their most obvious, accomplishable only by those who had known her long enough, like he had come to. She was also incredibly perceptive - something he could appreciate. She also liked using the "-chan" honorific with her peers, probably in an effort to endear them to herself. The girl came off strong for someone so emotionally subdued.
Fumikage was aloof, but not out of hostility. He simply found an artful serenity in solitude, but he enjoyed the company of friends as much as anyone else. He was also a very serious person, and his silence towards certain statements made it very easy to distinguish what he thought did and did not have a point. It may have been because of his quirk, but Izuku found that his bird-headed companion was more than a little fond of the dark, and also had flair for the dramatic, which he presented subtly, as he sometimes got embarrassed about it. Izuku found he could relate to the bird-headed boy's belief in the concept of destiny, which he spoke of when he thought of their "fated friendship." Izuku's own beliefs, he confided, were based off of his meeting with his mentor Jukei, so he couldn't really argue. On the subject, he was grateful Fumikage - or Fucchan – had come to trust him, as he realized the shadow beast master did not grant it as easily as others.
Mina was by far the most outspoken friend he had made, both in appearance in personality. Her easygoing behavior made it hard for anything to really aggravate her. She was extremely friendly, all but jumping at the opportunity to interact with others. The quirkless trainee could count on one hand the number of people he knew personally who could really bring down her ever-cheerful mood. However, because she was so emotional, he found certain circumstances could easily bring her to tears. Something he wasn't quite sure how to feel about was that she was a constant tease, always finding something that rendered him red in the face, his expression clashing with his dark green curls. But he knew very well the difference between her little jabs and the downplaying comments of those he usually hung out with; she wouldn't be doing it if she thought she was actually hurting his feelings. Another notable fact he found was that she did not like bullies, something he quietly appreciated (Quietly, because he was starting to doubt Kacchan having a good nature).
What Izuku was not aware of was the fact that Tsuyu and Mina felt especially close to him, and for them, becoming more than friends was more than just a little possible. It helped that he liked them, even if he wasn't sure of the extent to which he liked them.
His newly made friends to one side, Izuku could say he had come very far in his training. After having done enough brawling, Jukei had decided he was ready to teach Izuku some actual martial arts. He was now giving him lessons in Taekwondo, Aikido, and Ninjutsu, the three he felt would be best for him to learn. His academics had still not faltered; he had become a top-ten scorer in his middle school. His shishou had emphasized the hardest part of these lessons would be mixing them together fluidly to make his own style, as all heroes, trained or self-taught, had such a style that made them unique. His strikes did not have a great deal of strength behind them, as his master had made a point of training stamina over physical strength.
"Lacking a quirk is going to make it harder by leaps and bounds to defeat most of your opponents in a fight of brute force," he reasoned, "and it that isn't a gap easily filled, so we're going to train you to have the advantage in a drawn-out fight instead."
Not everything went quite as well as it could have. While he was good friends with all of them, Eijiro and Mina lived in the Chiba Prefecture, and Tsuyu lived in Aichi. Only Fumikage lived in Shizuoka, and as friendly as he had become with the rest of them, he did not feel okay with letting others beyond his family be in his home. It was his sanctuary, his place of privacy, his "abode of solitude when the entire world seems too bright for his darkness." That last one would not be forgotten too soon by him or any of the others. And since none of them lived in the same area as the others (again, except for Eijiro and Mina), none of them went to the same school. So they had to hang out together beyond such a place, and they only did it mostly when they were training together with Jukei, or the now graduated Backlash hero, Penance.
Needless to say, they had little time to actually spend together, so they agreed to make the time count. This was his train of thought, which led to the thought that said time should not be spent having to put up with a certain explosive delinquent and his cronies. Like right now.
The green-haired aspiring hero and his friend were currently taking on a grown p version of the savage child that had seen fit to torment them to remind them of his "superiority." Their appearances had all developed greatly over the years.
Izuku had gained some very well-developed muscle, thought he had only grown 5' 6", since neither of his parents were very tall. His musculature went less toward buff and more towards dense, not showing through his current school uniform. His hair had remained soft and curly, though, and his cheeks still had fat on them. Due to being in a fight, he was sporting a bruise on his left cheek and others that were better hidden under his school uniform. He was standing in a combat stance, though breathing heavily.
Fumikage was neither tall, nor overly muscular, but he was far from the scrawny kid he might have been if he hadn't had formal training. His red eyes had become more intense, and he now stood 5' 6 " tall, matching Izuku. He had a blast mark on his right arm where Bakugo had almost gotten him, before Eijiro had stepped in to grab his attention, and his beak had a scorch mark. He had his hands on his knees as he tried to regain his breath. Dark Shadow was next to him, though much smaller than he could be.
[Tokoyami Fumikage]
[Quirk: Dark Shadow]
[Fumikage's body is host to a wicked spooky shadow monster that becomes weaker in light, but easier to control, and becomes stronger in dark, but harder to control.]
Tsuyu's hair had grown so long she had tied it into a large bow that hung at her lower back, and puberty had been… most generous with her. Her skin was still smooth and milky, and her legs held power that betrayed their skinniness. Her hands were large, and she still held them out in front of her when they were not in use. She was adorably (Izuku's words, making her blush later on) short next to her friends, only 5' tall. She had two blast marks, one on each cheek, and a third hidden o her stomach. She was crouched, giving the impression that she was unfazed by her wounds.
[Asui Tsuyu]
[Quirk: Frog]
[Basically, she can do whatever a frog can.]
Mina was now 5' 4", and her skin had become a darker shade of pink due to repeated exposure to her own acid. Her small horns were… still small compared to other horns, but they had become curled into the front. Mina had also endured puberty most admirably, much like Tsuyu, thought with a different figure. Her training had blessed her with some exquisitely muscled limbs, which did not detract from her femininity. She had black covering her face where an explosion had been unleashed on it. She was on the ground, he legs crisscross, and her hands keeping her off her back.
[Ashido Mina]
[Quirk: Acid]
[Mina can spray a corrosive substance from any part of her body, but she'll eventually lose her own immunity to it.]
Eijiro was 5' 8", with plenty on muscle of his own, and his hair was now spike up and dyed red, a symbol of the new man he had decided to become. His had were had scars on them from hard work, and certain events which will not be explored or discussed here had enlarged the scar on his right eye, thankfully without damaging the eye itself. He flashed his gleaming razor-sharp teeth, his arms held up in a defensive position in front of him. He was not bruised by the several blasts by which he had been struck, but his hardening had been severely depleted in several areas in exchange.
[Kirishima Eijiro]
[Quirk: Hardening]
[Eijiro's quirk makes his body harder than steel. It's the ultimate combination of offense and defense.]
And in front of them stood Bakugo Katsuki, considerably more foul mouthed, standing 5' 81/4", and with a face only a mother could love, but impressive muscle of his own. His intelligent red eyes glared at his opponents, sporting an acid burn on his left shoulder, a bruise on his left cheek, courtesy of Eijiro, a scrape on his right and left forearm, from Eijiro and Fumikage respectively, and a broken (though not misaligned) nose from the one good hit Izuku had managed to get in. He also had damaged the nerves in his hands from unleashing a blast that was an attempt to get them all at once.
[Bakugo Katsuki]
[Quirk: Explosions]
[Katsuki can let loose nitro-sweat, which he can ignite on his heated palms. The more sweat he produces, the stronger his blasts become.]
Behind him were several kids from Aldera High. Specifically, a boy who's quirk made him look like a vicious bodybuilder, the two from Katsuki and Izuku's child hood who could respectively extend his fingers and grow wings, a girl who could turn her hands into knives, a kid who could cover himself in rocks, a girl who could throw balls of fire, and a boy who could transform his teeth into overly large fangs. They thought it would be a good idea to join Katsuki in attacking Deku and the losers who bothered hanging out with the "quirkless dork." They discovered that it was a huge mistake all too late, as they were all gasping for air or flat on their asses, mostly he latter.
"*Pant Pant* Are you *Pant* done now, Kacchan?" The quirkless boy in question asked, determined to put this struggle to a close. "I *Pant* think we've gone on *Pant* long enough for today."
Katsuki snarled, but didn't allow the idea of leaving without getting one more in. "Just don't breathe on my territory Deku. It'd be a shame if the staff had to clean shit off their entrance." With that, he went to grab his school bag, and stomped off, as opposed to running, which would make him look like a little bitch.
Izuku and company didn't bother waiting for the rest of the kids to leave, simply helping each other stand and move, as they gathered their book bags and made their way towards the green-eyed teen's house.
"I honestly don't know how you do it, Izu!" Mina steamed on their trek. "Having to go to the same school as that jerk. I mean honestly, will U.A. even let him past their gates?!"
"Izu" sighed. He had stopped counting the number of times any of them had this conversation. "Of course they will, Mina-chan." He responded patiently. "They don't just give performance lessons. They'll have a lot to teach him about attitude. And he will most certainly pass their tests. He's worked too hard to throw away an opportunity like that out of incompetence." Kacchan Had indeed worked hard, but it was not beyond Izuku that he was lucky. His parents had two almost useless powers that just so happened to meld into a powerful and multipurpose one like what their son had. So what? Izuku knew very well that the hypothetical situations of Katsuki having something less than impressive or – god forbid – being quirkless were irrelevant for just that reason; they were situations that had not and would not take place. Kacchan had an awesome quirk, he worked to hone it, he studied hard, and he even had plenty of ideas for special moves.
"Even so," Eijiro chimed in, "Aren't you just a little worried about him starting a fight at the wrong place and time?"
"Not in the slightest." The answer came without hesitation. "U.A. isn't like any other school. It's doubted they tolerate in-fighting outside of practical training. How would it produce so many admirable heroes, otherwise?"
Tsuyu added in her two cents. "And even if he manages to corner one of the students, they won't be anything like the kids at any of our schools. Kero. He won't be a big fish in a little pond anymore."
Izuku couldn't and didn't want to stop himself from smiling. He really was lucky to have a friend like Izuku who understood his points so well.
"And it's doubtful he'll ever be popular."
Even if she didn't always agree with them.
"His burning light suppressed by the dark of the truth." Fumikage muttered. Nobody even bothered glancing back. They were a used to his edgy musings. Even Mina!
"A-All doubts aside," Izuku said "We've still got work to do too. Mina, I hope you've managed to stay awake in class lately." He looked at his pink friend pointedly. He was slightly teasing her, but the seriousness of the question was all there.
Mina flushed slightly at the chastisement, her cheeks puffing up in slight frustration. "Uggghh, yes, Izu. I promise. I know how important it is." Izuku had known her for years. Add on top of it that she was so hopelessly expressive, and of course he could tell when she was lying. Thankfully, she was not. "I still don't understand it all too well, but I figured what I should take note of, like you showed me." She was a little ashamed, in all honesty. He had gone to the effort of setting up their study groups, and everyone else pretty much expected it when she slacked off.
Izuku beamed at her. "Daijobu, Micchan." He laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "What matters is your making the effort to learn it. You know we're here to help you with the actual learning part." He dropped to her back, rubbing small circles to comfort her. "And besides, if you work hard like you've been doing, it won't be like that forever. You're more capable at it than you think."
Mina really could not stop herself there and then. She jumped the short distance and immediately pulled him into one of her infamous hugs, her face flushing lilac both from the praise and out of slight enjoyment of the admittedly rather personal contact. "And what also matters is no matter what, you're still the sweetest in the universe!" Izuku barely flushed at how closely his excitable companion was, even when they began rubbing cheeks. He was very used to her infamous hugs. He was not the only one. All of them, even Fumikage had been the recipient of her hugs more than once, but sometimes it seemed like he got them more than the others. So ready to display affection to everyone within hugging distance. … that was probably his favorite thing about her.
Eijiro and Fumikage snickered as their alien-shaped friend latched onto the resident hero fanboy as thought glued to him. Tsuyu had to hold back a snort. Asui Tsuyu may have been the type to speak her mind, but that didn't mean she always knew the appropriate thing to say. She did, however, know when it was inappropriate to say something, such as how painful it was to see how oblivious Izuku-chan was to Mina's crush on him. Maybe he had boiled to down to her simply being generally unabashed, she could understand that, but did it not occur to him that Mina embraced him more than them? More than she got to hug him?
And the frog girl was not jealous that Izuku was consoling Mina. Not. One. Bit! The adorkable nerd wasn't her love interest in the slightest! Just her best friend, who she had known since they had made a pact they were supposed to be too young to understand, who she trusted without a second thought, who had a body better than most their age, who's quirks (and lack of an actual quirk) she knew down to the smallest detail, and who made her heart absolutely race whenever he smiled, hugged her or told her exactly what she needed to hear…
Damn him! Tsuyu was grateful to be gifted with such incredible self-control, because otherwise, she would no doubt be grinding her teeth to dust right now.
Eventually, they made it to the Midoriya Household and walked inside after taking their shoes off.
"Okaa-san, Outo-san! Tadaima."
"Welcome home, sweetie!" his Mother responded from the living room. She and Hisashi were currently watching a news report, without really paying attention to it. They had no changed much over the years, if anything, they were better looking than before, having joined their son on many of his training regimes. He held back for them, they could tell, but they were too busy being in awe that their little boy did training like this on a daily basis!
"You bring your girlfriends home, son?" Que the typical Hisashi-style Dad questions.
Izuku flushed hotly. "They aren't my girlfriends, Otou-san! And I did bring my friends home!" Tsuyu and Mina giggled at his flustered look. It wasn't something they got to see as often as they used to. "We'll just get to studying right away!" With that, they moved straight to Izuku's bedroom. Over the years, Izuku a come to understand the importance of money, so he kept his All Might merchandise collection limited to… limited edition items. He filled in the blanks with merchandise belonging to other heroes he idolized, including Edge Shot, The Pussycats, and Ryukyu.
As soon as they got inside, they got straight down to work. All the while, Izuku silently contemplated his relationship with his companions.
Not for an instant was he wondering why they were friends. Never! He would be grateful for his sensei forcing him to train on his day off just to form his bonds with them. He would follow them anywhere! He wanted to take a moment to think about what they meant to him.
Eijiro was, in all clear honestly, Izuku's best friend. Kacchan was a guilty idol of his, and they were friends, once upon a time. Now… he didn't know what he was to him. Eicchan, on the other hand, was easier to establish. Ever since they had met, the hardener had followed him through thick and thin, protective quirk or no. His brand of earnest, Izuku could honestly say he found in his comics and movies. They trusted each other without a second thought, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
His friendship with Fumikage only seemed ambiguous if you had never spent a day with the two of them. It wasn't just the Dark Shadow user's bird head that made it hard for him to make friends. It was the way his eyes seemed locked in a glare, like another red-eye individual he knew. Izuku preferred to compare it to the intense stare of interest that a hawk's brows seemed set in. And it suited him. Fumikage was very observant, though he often allowed others to think what they would, as opposed to letting others know of his opinion at every instance he had one. And unlike Eijiro, he handed out trust sparsely and wisely. Izuku found this helped balance out Eijiro and himself, who trusted others for their sake. (A/N: That makes sense, right?)
Mina and Tsuyu were… confusing. In their own ways, and for the same reason. Izuku had not forgotten that there was a time when he couldn't even look at a girl without feeling like a pathetic mess. He was infinitely (and silently) grateful to them for (inadvertently) teaching them that it was no different from talking to a boy.
Unless you happened to like them on another level.
Izuku really couldn't help it. He had become infatuated with the two girls. And not just because they were pretty, either. They had that classic case of contrasting charms. Tsuyu was a blunt, studious, and level-headed girl, and while as emotional as the rest of them, she never let it mess up her judgement. And she had judgement enough to choose her friends on the spot! Izuku always considered her the ideal emotional pillar. He always enjoyed leaning on her when things seemed too hard to handle, when he couldn't consult Jukei-sensei. Mina was playful, energetic, and ready to have the best time possible at the drop of a hat. She was a little lazy, but her heart was always in the right place. With an open mind and a wonderful sense of humor, Izuku couldn't have asked for a better teacher on how to make friends, or even get along with strangers. Both of them were so unique and incredible, and he had no idea just what sense he liked them in, and it was making him burst at the seams trying to figure it out.
Oh well, he decided. It could wait until after he had gone over his chemistry assignment. When was that due again? Oh right, in 3 weeks.
…
Not nearly enough time.
"Okay," Fumikage said, "I think we've covered everything. I feel as though I am still in class."
"Agreed." Izuku said. "Does anyone have anything else they want to go over?"
"I've got nothing that warrants concern." Tsuyu assured them.
"Alright then. Mina, Excellent on environmental science. I knew you could do it."
Mina blushed lightly at the praise. Izuku had used her homework as a chance to quiz her personally, and had given her an 87 on her third try. She personally preferred Izuku as a teacher. He involved her and the others in the exercises, rather than just droning on in a lecture. He even managed to make it – dare she say it- fun!
Maybe it was just because he was the one doing the teaching.
"Well," Eijiro got up and stretched, "See you, Izuku. I'm pretty tuckered out, so I'm just gonna head home."
"Me too." Mina Pitched in. "I think all that brain work actually affected my body." Izuku snorted. Only Micchan.
Tsuyu, for her part, simply nodded silently.
"I will head home as well." Fumikage decided. "Today's events have been… more trying than usual."
With that everyone then headed out the door, Tsuyu barely trudging along.
On the way out the door, the bug-eyed girl stopped short. And looked back at Izuku. A thought had occurred to her, one that had, for some reason or other, never occurred to her when she thought about the pros and cons of dating Izuku, or of dating in general.
She wouldn't be young forever.
She already knew this of course. All living things age. But she never really considered the implications of it. She wouldn't always have that chance hanging right in front of her. She wouldn't always have her friends, her parents wouldn't always be around, she could only stay in school for so long… and she wouldn't always have potential boyfriend material brushing shoulders with her. She had known Izuku for a long time, and she would not be herself if she could not perceive the slightest possibility that he liked her too, on whatever level. But if she wanted to take that chance, she would need to take a risk first. It was so obvious that she needed to make the first move. Not that she minded. It was a chance to outdo Mina's boldness!
"Izuku-chan!"
The named individual turned around in time to see Tsuyu jump at him just in time to catch her. He skidded back slightly, just barely able to stand up to her uncharacteristic glomp. When he re-composed himself, he looked down to see Tsyu hugging him tightly and looking up at him with that smile of hers. And ask a question that made his heart stop in excitement.
"I like you, Izuku. Will you go out with me?"
Where everyone else could see and hear them.
Izuku had never been so grateful for being put on the spot in his life, and he never would be that grateful again, period.
Six Months Later
The Streets of Shizuoka
Izuku was currently documenting a pro hero that had just debuted under the name Mount Lady. He could say without a doubt that he was in a wonderful mood. How could he not be? He got to refine his documentation skills again!
"Gigantification, huh? Well, she's displaying looks and attitude potentially worthy of a country-wide rank, but her performance will depend on whether she can control the size she grown to and how well she can minimize damage…"
An old man who had been watching the fight with him popped up from behind him. "What're ya doin' there fanboy, taking notes? You wanna be a hero too, huh?"
Izuku turned to face the old man, and couldn't help but answer from the bottom of his heart. "Yes!" he said, wearing a smile like the sun, "More than anything!"
Okay, I'm very well aware that my "I just met these kids. I want to hang out with them." bit was more than a little shoddy. But that's what little kids do. They meet in random places (we used to call them parks) and in a spur-of-the-moment decision, say they want to try and spend time with each other. Two years. I think Izuku's parents have decided, at some point, they can trust him to know what he's doing.
And I'm not bashing Bakugo, though I really want to. Let it be known that he was fighting 5 of his future classmates of the world's greatest hero school, and, even considering his backup, those classmates are considerably stronger than they would have been in another lifetime. I'm honestly wondering if I went overboard with their injuries.
That last part was intended to get us caught up with the actual series. Also, Izuku-smiles. Nuff said.
And What's More, I'll be adding Character profiles, because of boredom. Let it be known that this will be a middle finger to the official character book. So, first up:
Ikinuku Jukei
Alias: Backlash Hero: Penance
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Height: 190.5cm / 6' 2"
Weight: 87.9969 kgs /194lbs.
Eyes: Grey
Hair: Brown, short, spiked backwards
Nationality: Japanese
Date of Birth: August 12th
Handedness: Right
Blood Type: B
Likes: Soda, Birds, Free running
Dislikes: Lectures (Giving and receiving)
Character Theme: 3 Days Grace - Riot
Quirk: Accelerated Regen, Pain-induced Empowerment – Born with a rare case of dual quirks, Jukei Can regenerate massive injuries and acquire temporarily increased physical power. The amount of power he receives matches the amount of damage he takes by a factor of four.
Costume: Black Arm braces with fingerless gloves and red streaks running from knuckles atop index and pinky fingers to black shoulder guards. He wears a red Macho wrestler-style mask
Fighting Style: Close Quarters, Swarmer/in-fighter
Skills:
High Pain Tolerance: After being on the receiving end of countless bruises, cuts, burns, and other such wounds, Jukei can fight through cripplng damage, even when his regenerative quirk stops working.
Immense strength: Even without the increase of strength from Pain Stock, Jukei can push a car.
High-tier martial artist: Jukei has taken up Taijutsu and Ninjutsu to act further on his potential as a CQC type of hero.
Natural Mentor: Jukei has no issue teaching what he has learned to others, regardless of their age. He can present the task or lesson in such a way that someone at their exact level can understand
Special Moves:
Breaker Shot: Jukei focuses all of his power stock energy into a single straight jab.
Punishment Axe: Jukei performs a deadly chop with a powered-up arm.
Rail Nail: Jukei focuses all of his gathered energy into a single finger or multiple fingers, reinforcing them to the point they can poke through brick like paper.
Penance Rocket: Jukei propels himself into the air, or an opponent.
Stats
Power - 4/5; B
Speed - 3/5; C
Technique - 5/5; A
Intelligence - 4/5; B
Cooperativeness - 5/5; A
